A Cat's Jealousy Has No Limit
by sanasings
Summary: Adrien has always thought of Marinette as a friend, but when Nathanael starts getting closer to her, his jealousy catches him by surprise. Marichat/Adrienette
1. Initial Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe**

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The feeling made sense-the first time. Chat had been in love with ladybug for half a year now. Of course he felt jealous by Theo Barbot's obvious infatuation with his lady. It would have been confusing if he didn't feel the need to subtly hint that their relationship was more than platonic, even if it was a bit of a fib. The Copycat had been an unfortunate consequence to his actions, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it, especially when it resulted in the artist giving up in his pursuit of her.

The second time he felt jealous, Adrian was able to convince himself it was a simple misunderstanding. He had agreed to help Nino ask Marinette to the zoo, and then act as a behind-the-scenes wing-man for his best bud. The slight pain in his chest was because of some ludicrous idea he may lose the relationship he had with Nino. The only reason he felt relieved when Nino ended up with Alya was because his mind had rationalized with him that Nino's relationship with others wouldn't affect theirs. What other possibility was there?

The third time took Chat by surprise, and left him confused. Ladybug had asked him to protect Marinette while she handled a secret mission. Everything started off normal enough. It wasn't until he was watching the date that his heart throbbed. His bewilderment only intensified when he felt the familiar butterflies in his stomach while holding her that he felt when Ladybug was the one in his arms.

 _"To be fair,"_ he reasoned, _"the two are very similar. The same caring nature. The same friendly demeanor. The same fierce determination and strong leadership skills. They even look alike, with hair as dark as night and pretty bluebell eyes."_ Adrian quickly shook the thoughts from his head. Marinette was a friend, and he couldn't help feeling like he was betraying Ladybug, even by simply considering another girl's beauty, however undeniable it was.

It wasn't until months after the Evillustrator incident that he felt jealous yet again. As far as he and Ladybug went, there had been no progress made whatsoever. He continued to flirt and she continued to turn him down. Tired of the never ending cycle, Chat decided to bring up the topic of romance during one of their night patrols.

He waited for her to finish her half of the city atop the Eiffel Tower. When she arrived, he automatically sent her a blinding smile.

"Welcome back My Lady. How was your purr-t of the city tonight?" he asked.

"No problems on my end, how about yours?" she replied.

"T'was paws-itively lovely. It did make me wish I had some company however. The lights were the purr-fect backdrop for a romantic encounter." He smirked before continuing. "Tell me, are there any lucky young lads mew wished to spend this evening with?" He was able to catch a faint blush peeking out from beneath her mask. _"That's a yes then,"_ he thought as his smile faltered before he schooled himself.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean Chat."

"Oh come on Bugaboo. You can trust me. I promise not to let the cat out of the bag."

A contemplative look crossed her face before she gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Actually there is Chaton. He's a boy from my class. Unfortunately he doesn't even know I exist."

 _"Idiot,"_ he thought with annoyance. "Don't give up M'lady. No one in their right mind could miss someone like you."

She gave a disbelieving laugh before smiling at him "Thanks Chat. Anyways, I should really head back. I'll see you tomorrow."

She scratched him beneath this chin before pulling out her yoyo and leaping away. He watched silently as she left, feeling like a snake was slowly constricting his heart.

 _"She loves someone else,"_ he thought. He punched a metal beam in frustration before running off blindly. _"I always knew it was a possibility, but hearing her actually say it..."_ He continued to run until his lungs burned with the need for oxygen. He stopped on a small balcony. Looking around he saw he was across from his school. The balcony itself was filled with beautiful potted plants. There was a makeshift table made from a large wooden spool with an oddly shaped kettle and two cups on it. A pink and white striped beach chair sat in the corner beneath a white canopy and small colorful lanterns were strung up.

 _"Wait a minute, isn't this-"_ Chat's thought was interrupted by the sound of a trap door opening.

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 **Remember to R and R/Follow and Favorite.**

 **See y'all next chapter,**

 **~Sana**


	2. Uncalled Jealousy

**I wasn't going to post this until Wednesday, but all you readers have been so amazing that I decided to put it up early. Thank you for all of the encouragement., it means a lot to me (and it makes me want to update quicker)**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe**

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Chat turned around in time to see Marinette climb out of her room with a watering can in her hand.

"Good evening purr-incess," he purred, and chuckled softly when she jumped.

"Chat?! What are you doing here?" Despite the initial shock, she didn't seem angry, which he regarded as a good sign.

"I just finished up my patrol for the evening and thought I'd stop by and visit my favorite Purr-isian Purr-incess." His cheeks darkened slightly at the sound of his stomach growling.

A soft giggle filled the air, and caused a look of amazement to cross his face. "Looks like Paris' finest is looking for a snack."

Before he could object, she disappeared into her room. _"Way to go Adrien."_ He leaned on her railing and looked out at the night life below. The lights of Paris winked up at him. It was quiet outside of the normal city sounds. Closing his eyes, Chat focused on the various noises. The smell of chocolate and baked goods invaded his senses, and made his eyes pop open. He turned and was presented with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies by smiling Marinette.

"I thought you might be interested in some freshly baked cookies."

He looked between the treats and the girl who most likely made them in wonder. "Thank you Princess." He took one before she set the plate on the table.

"It's the least I could do to show my appreciation Chat," she said before taking one for herself. She then took a seat on the beach chair and motioned for him to join her.

"So Princess, how have you been lately?" he asked.

"I've been good. My friend Alya, the one who runs the Ladyblog, asked me to make her a dress for a masquerade dance at my school. After hearing I was making one for her, a lot of other girls asked for one as well, so I've been busy. This is the first real break I've had in quite a while," she explained. "In a way I have to thank you for that."

"If it means free cookies, I will gladly distract you from your work whenever you wish," he said before grabbing a second and third cookie. "After all, what kind of knight in shining leather would I be if I didn't assist my Princess in every way possible?"

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said with amusement dancing in her eyes.

The two continued talking about trivial matters until the plate was empty.

"I should probably get going," Chat said with more reluctance than he expected. "Until next time." Chat gently picked up Marinette's hand and placed a soft kiss on the back. With a wink and two-finger salute, he took his baton and vaulted from the balcony.

Back at the Agreste Manor, Chat snuck in his bedroom window and detransformed.

"I gotta admit kid, you're taking this a whole lot better than I thought you would be," Plagg grumbled while heading to the mini fridge for some delicious camembert.

"What are you talking about Plagg?" Adrien asked before slipping into some sweatpants to sleep in.

"For someone who just got confirmation that the 'love of their life' loves someone else, you're handling it quite well, especially when we consider it's you we're talking about.

Adrien froze in his tracks just before jumping in bed. "To be honest, I'd actually forgotten all about it." He'd been having such a good time with Marinette that Ladybug had completely slipped his mind.

"Be sure to thank your Princess for me the next time you see her. I wasn't particularly looking forward to listening to you wail tonight."

"Oh shut up Plagg," he said before pulling up his covers and shutting off the light.

The next day, Adrien met up with Nino in front of school.

"Hey dude!" His friend called out before they shared a fist bump. "So listen, I was wondering if you could help me with asking Alya to the Masquerade Ball. I was really hoping to get one of Paris' top heroes to assist me, and thought you might know how I could contact them." Nino sent him a knowing look. Adrien had confessed his secret identity and number of weeks ago. His friend was ecstatic to hear of his secret and more than willing to provide alibis and any other aid he could to the blonde.

"I think that can be arranged." Adrien started up the front steps with Nino following close behind.

"Thanks dude! You're the best!" Once in the classroom, they took their seats and began planning what exactly Chat Noir was going to do. They were soon interrupted by a familiar voice that warned them it was time to change topics.

"Seriously girl, I can't believe you agreed to design and create so many dresses. Especially on top of school, the bakery, and your other extracurricular activities. Why didn't you just turn some of the requests down? Wait, let me guess, you just couldn't say no," Alya said before entering the classroom.

"No. I just-couldn't-say-no," Marinette replied.

"I really love you girl, you know that? If you need help with anything, just ask." Alya turned her attention to the boys and waved. "Hey Nino! Adrien!"

"Hey babe." Nino got up and gave her a small peck before nodding to Marinette. "Morning Mari."

"Good morning Nino," she said with a radiant smile.

"Hey girls." Adrien noticed how she immediately got nervous at his greeting.

"H-hi A-Adrien." She quickly made her way to her seat and started digging things out of her bag.

If he was completely honest, he envied how easily she spoke to the rest of their class, even if she could be cute when flustered. Alya and Nino shared a meaningful look at the exchange before taking their respective seats.

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 **AN: Just so all you lovely readers know, in addition to Nino knowing Adrien's second identity, Alya knows Marinette's. Since the story mostly follows Adrien, I wasn't sure how to include that other than subtle hints and writing it in an AN.**

 **Remember** **to R and R (more reviews mean faster uploads)/Follow and Favorite. Next chapter should be uploaded on Wednesday. Until then, stay Miraculous,**

 **~Sana**


	3. Unexpected Jealousy

**I can't believe this story already has 32 favorites and 63 followers! You readers are all so amazing! without further ado, on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe**

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"So what's this I heard about dresses?" Nino asked, turning to face the girls with Adrien following his lead.

"Marinette here was being her usual self, and agreed to make dresses for most of our class," Alya explained. "Rose, Juleka, Mylène, Alix, and I will all be wearing Marinette Originals to the Masquerade Ball. Along with the designer herself of course." Alya's voice was overflowing with pride for her friend.

"Wow, that's a lot of dresses." Adrien's eyes widened comically. "Are you going to be able to finish them all in time?"

"Yeah. I able should to be." Marinette cheeks darkened. "I-I mean, I should be able to."

Alya laughed and gave her a small pat on the back. "It's a good thing you're better with making clothes than you are at speaking Mari," she teased. "If anyone can do it, my girl can."

"She's right Marinette. You've got some mad skills," Nino added.

"Alright class, face forward and we'll start today's lesson," Mme Bustier said, interrupting Marinette's bashful 'thank you'.

The first half of school went by quickly. Adrien was packing up his school bag when he heard a very Chloe like scream. When a quick glance around the room revealed that she'd already left, he let out a soft groan.

"Sounds like the drama queen has gone and created another Akuma. Seriously, Hawkmoth should really start paying her for her services."

"Alya!" Marinette scolded, although the small curved of her lips didn't escape Adrien's notice.

"Well come on Marinette. We've got a job to do." She pulled out her phone and grabbed Marinette's hand before running into the hall.

"Yo, Adrien! Let's go!" Nino called to him.

He nodded and followed him to a nearby restroom. Adrien quickly ran in and double-checked no one else was there while Nino guarded the entrance.

"Plagg, claws out!" The kwami quickly flew out of his hidden pocket and into the Miraculous before a neon green light filled the room. Chat ran out of the bathroom, saluting Nino as he passed.

"Dude! Don't forget about Alya!" he called as his friend raced by.

Chat met up with Ladybug just inside the school's entrance. "Fancy meeting you here LB," he said, sliding up beside her.

"Someone took their time," she joked and continued scanning the area.

"What can I say? Being this handsome takes time to purr-fect. We can't all wake up beautiful like you Bugaboo," he said with a wink.

They turned at the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Ladybug! I just knew you'd come to save me!" Chloe called while running to her, Sabrina close behind.

"What happened Chloe?" Chat was impressed with how calm her voice sounded, despite her obvious annoyance.

"Mme Bustier was being totally unfair and failed me in the last partner project Sabrina and I did, while giving Sabrina top marks. I demanded to know why after class and told her to change it or else I'd tell Daddykins. The next thing I knew, she's attacking me. Me! It was so uncalled for!"

"Ah, Ladybug, Chat Noir! I am The Educator. Now hand over your Miraculous' or be prepared to spend the rest of your lives in detention!" The Educator boomed. Chloe screamed loudly before The Educators shot a detention slip at her. The slip covered her mouth, effectively cutting her cries short. "There's no talking in detention!"

"Chat!" Ladybug said as Chloe and Sabrina ran from the room. "The Akuma must be in the pen she's using."

"Gotcha! I'll distract her while you come up with a plan." They shared a nod. "It's time for us to teach you a lesson!" he said and bounded towards the villain.

With a solid diversion, some witty lines, and a strategically utilized lucky charm in the form of a backpack, the two heroes were able to purify the Akuma. After their traditional fist-bump, Chat noticed Alya running up to them with her phone.

"Can I get a few words for the Ladyblogg before you go?"

A smirk curled onto Chat's face. "Actually Alya, I do have an important announcement. Ladybug, would you purr-etty please hold the nice reporters camera?" Ladybug gave him a questioning look, but took the phone from her friend, who looked just as confused.

"Now Alya, I'm sure you're aware that your school is putting on an event at the end of the month." Chat put his arm around Alya's shoulders and led her to her next class where Nina was waiting, while Ladybug kept the phone trained on them. "I've got to admit, this Mask-erade Ball sounds paws-itively claw-some for a hero such as myself. Word is, there's a certain DJ hoping to ask fur a particular Ladyblogger to accompany him. What do mew think?" They stepped into the room and found Nino standing in the center with a box of macarons from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, half Ladybug themed and the rest Chat Noir.

"Would you be my date to the Masquerade Ball Alya?" Nino asked.

Alya's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. "Of course!" She ran and threw her arms around his neck.

Ladybug uploaded the video to the Ladyblog and made a quick exit before her transformation dropped.

"Dude, you are the best!" Nino gave Adrien a fist-bump after he finished detransforming.

"Always glad to help." They walked to their desks and caught the last of the girls conversation as they arrived.

"I can't believe you posted that Mari!" Alya said as Marinette just laughed at her embarrassed expression. "Just you wait, I will get my revenge. I will convince whoever asks you to the dance to do something way over the top, and get the whole thing on video. You'll be famous girl."

"As if anyone would want to escort Marinette Dupain-Cheng to a school dance," Chloe said, walking over to them. She cackled as Sabrina loyally agreed with her.

"Oh bug off Chloe. Just because no one wants to take a witch like you doesn't mean you have to put down someone with an actual chance," Alya said.

"An actual chance? Yeah right. Besides, everyone knows that I'm going with my precious Adrikins." She clung to his arm for emphasis.

"Is he aware of this?" Alya asked while he tried to get out of her grip.

"Actually Chloe-" Adrien started.

"Oh don't pay any mind to anything coming out of this wannabe reporter's mouth Adrikins."

"Chloe, just drop it already. None of us are particularly in the mood to argue with you, and you've already caused one Akuma today. Why don't you just take that holier-than-thou attitude of yours and sit down," Marinette said.

Chloe gave an indignant scoff before reluctantly taking her seat, pushing over an unexpecting Nathaniel along the way. Papers were scattered across the floor and Marinette wasted no time in helping the young artist gather them.

"I'm really sorry about that Nath," Marinette said handing him the papers she'd collected.

"It-it's okay Marinette. I really appreciate the help." Nathaniel blushed as their hands brushed.

 _"That's weird,"_ Adrian thought as the familiar jealousy quickly ran through him at the sight. _"What's going on here?"_

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 **And there's chapter 3 for all you lovlies! More of** **our** **favorite tomato boy to come.** **Remember** **to R and R (more reviews mean faster uploads)/Follow and Favorite.**

 **~Sana**


	4. Confusing Jealousy

**I wanted to give a special thank you to Tiger Priestess and Mayuralover for being my most dedicated reviewers, you're both rockstars! Also, to whoever the guest was that pointed out my spelling errors, I went back and fixed the ones I found in the first few chapters. I reread every chapter at least 3 times before posting, but after a certain point, I tend to stop noticing the errors and instead just read what I know it's supposed to say, so hearing about them from you really helped.**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe**

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Nathanael turned to make his way to the back but was interrupted by Marinette's voice.

"Oh, Nathanael, we missed this-" her words were cut off by a gasp of aww. "This is beautiful!"

Adrien looked at the paper she was holding and felt his eyes widen. It was a magnificent picture of Marinette. She was wearing a red traditional chinese-style dress that had billowing white sleeves. Her hair was in her signature pigtails, but there was a large pink peony pinned in it. Her eyes were closed and she smiled sweetly as a light pink blush dusted her face, a blush that she now mirrored.

"Wow Nathanael, you really captured Marinette's, well everything," Alya said with an impressed whistle. "Heck, I don't even know if I've seen this side of my girl before."

"Oh, th-thanks Alya." Nathanael rushed back to them hastily and reached out to grab the drawing, his face turning red.

"Actually Nathanael," Marinette said and moved the paper slightly away from his outstretched hand. "Uhm, w-would it be possible to, I mean, m-maybe I-"

Marinette stopped to take a deep breath and Adrien felt his heart speed up as he watched her blush darken. She had always been so confident around everyone, well everyone but him of course. In front of Adrien she was a blushing and stuttering mess. Seeing her act that way because of someone else sent a rush of panic through his veins.

"Could I keep this?" The color of Nathaniel face could have put his hair to shame. "Y-you don't to have say yes." Marinette looked horrified as her brain caught up with her mouth. "You don't have to say yes!" she corrected. "It's just so amazing, and-and I'd be honored if you agreed."

The blush on Nathanael's face was constant, but Adrian saw his mouth tilt-up in a small smile. Despite its size, Adrian was shocked by how much emotion backed it. _"Appreciation. Happiness. Pride. Adoration."_ Adrien's throat went dry. _"Love."_ "If you like it that much, I'd love," Adrian flinched, "for you to keep it."

"Really?! Thank you Nath!" Marinette threw her arms around the boy in a hug. Nathanael looked like he'd died and gone to heaven.

"Would you look at that, I guess there **is** someone desperate enough to like a common Baker's daughter after all," Chloe said snarkily without looking up from the nail she was filing.

Adrien couldn't decide if he was mad at the comment or relieved when it caused the two to break apart. Before another argument could break out Mme Mendeleiev entered the room and started class.

Adrien found it difficult to pay attention to the lesson with his mind replaying everything that had happened. He repeatedly found himself glancing at the girl sitting directly behind him, and whenever he noticed her looking at her drawing his heart sank lower. It must have shown on his face, because Nino kept giving him questioning looks. Each time he sent one, Adrien would return a shoulder shrug of his own. He knew he was going to be questioned about his mood later, but he doubted he'd have an adequate answer. He wasn't even sure himself why this was affecting him. But he was determined to figure it out.

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 **Sorry it's a bit shorter than usual, I'm going to try and make up for it in the next chapter, I just really wanted to end this one at this point. Who knows, if I get enough reviews I might just post the next one early have two uploads this week (I start considering after 5, 10 reviews guarantees an early upload).** **See y'all next chapter** **~Sana**


	5. Decrypting Jealousy

**I'm so sorry this is late! I recently picked up a new job, and my college is about to start, so I haven't had much time, plus I managed to misplace my sketchbook which has Marinette's dress designs in them (I'm designing them myself for fun). I'm hoping to put up another chapter very soon as a thank you for all the reviews and love I'm getting from everyone.**

 **In other news, I went to Rose City Comic Con last week, and got so much ML stuff! I swear I died and went to heaven. The artist of the ML comic books was actually there and he signed my copies of Vol 1, 2, and the free comic book day preview! He even put little pictures of Tikki and Marinette on them. Like I said, I DIED!**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe**

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"Dude, what's going on with you?" Nino asked as they gathered their stuff from their lockers at the end of the day.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that. You've been acting off since that little incident in class earlier."

"No I haven't." Adrien grimaced at how weak the lie sounded, even to his own ears.

"Sure. The perfectly studious Adrien Agreste always zones out during Physics and instead spends the class fidgeting and frowning." Nino rolled his eyes. "Seriously bro, if you're going to pretend nothing's up, the least you can do is hide your anxiousness. I may not have superpowers, but even I can tell when something's bringing my bud down."

Adrien sighed. "You're right Nino, I'm not feeling like myself."

"How about telling me something I don't know dude." Nino placed his arm around Adrien's shoulders while they walked to the entrance. "Like, hm, I don't know, why?"

"Come on Nino," Adrien said, rolling his eyes, "you know I'd never hesitate in telling you anything. The problem is that I can't tell you something I don't know myself."

"Alright, alright." Nino raise his hands in surrender. "How about I help you figure it out then?"

"Thanks Nino. You're-"

"The best DJ in all of Paris? The greatest friend you could have? The next destined Miraculous wielder?"

"The biggest goofball I've ever met." Adrien found himself laughing heartily for the first time since the Physics lesson.

"There's the Adrien I know!"

Adrien rolled his eyes and the two fist bumped. A black limo caught the blonde's eye and he waved goodbye, with a promised, "call you later"' before sliding in.

The ever silent driver, Adrien befittingly dubbed Gorilla, gave a nod to acknowledge his presence, and pulled away from the curb. As they made their way to the Luxembourg Garden for a photo shoot, Adrien saw Marinette and Alya out the window. From their expressions, he could easily tell that the latter was teasing the former about something. A soft smile graced his features as he watched Marinette's flustered reactions.

"Ick!" Plagg's voice cut through the silence and brought Adrien's focus to the black kwami. He had slipped out of Adrien's pocket and was now lounging beside the buttons that controlled the car's locks and windows. A quick glance revealed that the God had used them to raise the divider, effectively cutting them off from the Gorilla.

"What's the problem now Plagg?" Adrien asked.

"You're kidding me, right kid? How long are you planning to look like some kind of lovesick puppy."

"What are you going on about? You aren't making any sense."

"Sure kid. Whatever you say, " Plagg scoffed as he grabbed some cheese from Adrien's bag. "Just know that when you finally stop being so oblivious, you're gonna be getting a big ol' 'I told you so'".

They arrived at the Mansion before Adrien could question him further, and Plagg flew back to Adrien's pocket.

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Chat jumped across the rooftops to the welcoming Bakery. The sent a fresh bread and pastries wafted towards him as he landed on a building across from the bakery. When Adrien had voiced his confusion for the upteenth time that evening, Plagg ended up making an off-handed comment about confronting the root of the problem.

 _"I've never able to have a full conversation with her as Adrien, but she surprisingly confident was Chat."_ He's smirked when he saw Marinette sitting on her balcony with her sketchbook in her hands. He couldn't stop his chuckle as he examined her concentrating expression. She looked adorable with her eyebrows knit and tongue poking out of her mouth. He watched with amusement as her hand glided along the page, regularly alternating between drawing and erasing. He slowly made his way to the building, landing on the roof behind her; her posture altered slightly.

"Good evening Chat." He could hear her smile as she spoke, causing him to laugh heartily.

"You're quite purr-ceptive Princess. I must a-paw-d you."

He pounced, landing beside Marinette. Looking over her shoulder he saw the beginnings of a dress design. The pile of crumpled pages beside her depicted how much she was struggling with this particular design. Is this fur that upcoming dance of yours?"

Marinette groaned while tearing out another page. "It is. I only have three left to design, but no matter how many times I try to create mine I hit a stone wall. I keep pushing it off, but since I've almost finished the others I might have to start sewing them without completing mine."

"Could I see some of your completed ones?" Chat's tail flicked with curiosity.

"I don't see why not."

The second she turned the page, Chat was struck with aww. The sheath dress had a portrait neckline and long sleeves that protected the wearer's modesty, along with the long skirt length. Upon closer inspection he realized it actually wasn't a skirt at all; the design was of a pantgown. The base was black and layers of sheer lime green tulle billowed down from a natural waistline and around the legs, amplifying the illusions of a skirt that reached the floor. Two lime green snakes wrapped around the wrist-length slaves, their scales outlined with neon green. One of the snakes crawled around the shoulder to land at the collar while the other circled the waist. The outfit was paired with a scaled gold necklace and belt, and a Medusa inspired mask was sketched in the corner.

Between the dress' tomboy style and snake theme, it was obvious the design was for Alix.

"I know it isn't very traditional, but the friend I'm making it for isn't really the girly type," Marinette nervously spoke up. "The pants will give her more mobility and confidence than a skirt would, and it's long enough to conceal the high tops I know she'll insist on wearing. Plus, she really likes snakes, so I thought 'why not go the Medusa route?' Maybe I should alert it though. I mean, I want to make sure she's both comfortable and looks great. She might take offense to being compared to a mystical being who turns people into stone." She fidgeted with her hands as she rambled.

"It's beautiful Marinette." Chat placed his gloved hand over hers, stilling their movement. "I'm certain she'll love it just as much as I do."

The look of appreciation and joy that took over her features shot a wave of emotion through him, as emotion he was all too familiar with. _"I'm never going to hear the end of this from Plagg."_

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 **Our little cinnamon roll is finally figuring out his feelings!**

 **If any of you are interested in seeing my sketch of Alix's dress, just let me know. I'll insert links to where they can be found in the next chapter. I can also include links to the other designs when they come up later on.**

 **See y'all next chapter,**

 **~Sana**


	6. Rising Jealousy

**I can't apologize enough for this being so late. There are MANY reasons for this, and it will probably take a while before I upload the next one as well, but I assure you that I am dedicated to finishing this story no matter what. If you happen be on the ML Amino, I tend to upload faster to that due to convenience. I also have put a picture of Alix's masquerade dress on there. (My username is the same there as it is here)**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the ML universe**

"I. Told. You. So."

"You can stop anytime now." Adrien sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair.

"I told you so. I told you so. I told you so. I told you so. You know what I did?" Adrien groaned. "I told you so!"

"Will some extra camembert shut you up?"

"For now," Plagg replied slyly.

Adrien pulled out a small wheel from his pocket and passed it to the gluttonous Kwami, who quickly devoured the piece before diving in to Adrien's shirt pocket. Once he had settled, Adrien opened the limo door and exited.

"Have fun with your girlfriend today." Plagg chuckled as a flaming flash appeared on Adrien's face.

"Mornin' dude!" Nino clapped Adrien on the back as they walked up the front steps. "Hey you feeling okay? You look kind of flushed."

Adrien's blush darkened while he subconsciously scratched the back of his neck. "I'm fine Nino. Someone just wouldn't shut up this morning."

A chuckle resounded from Adrien's pocket and Nino looked down knowingly.

"Adrien's got a girlfriend!" Plagg sang, just loud enough for the two boys to hear.

"Plagg!" Adrien hissed.

"What! Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me you asked the bug out?" Nino clapped him on the back again. "Nice goin' dude!"

"Except it isn't her." Plagg poked his head out, unable to contain his urge to tease Adrien.

Nino's proud expression changed to one of confusion as his friend's continued to darken. "Then who'd you ask out?"

"I'll give you a hint," Plagg whispered like he was about to share nuclear launch codes, or hawkmothxs secret identity. "She's petite, has midnight blue pigtails, bluebell eyes, spends her free time designing and baking, and she just so happens to sit right behind our Golden Boy in class."

"Marinette? Really?!" Nino's face lit up. "It's about time! This is great! Does Alya know yet? Cuz she's gonna flip when she hears about it. Speak of the devil!" Nino began walking over to Alya but was stopped by Adrien.

"Wait, Nino! You've got it all wrong!" He jabbed Plagg back in his pocket to muffle the kwami's snickering. "No one asked anyone out. I just happened to meet her last night and we talked."

Nino's face fell in disappointment, but after a few moments is eyebrows rose. "So then, what was with all the blushing?"

"Well-Uhm." Adrien couldn't have looked more nervous if he tried. "You see, while talking I sort of realized something..." Adrien scratched the back of his neck again.

"For Kwami's sake kid. He likes her!" Plagg shouted, causing some of the nearby students to look over.

Adrien hissed again, and stabbed the pocket. Looking up, he saw Nino attempting to hold back his laughter with little success.

After taking a deep breath, he wrapped his arm around Adrien's shoulders and led the blushing teen in the school building.

"So what are you planning to do about this realization of yours?"

Adrien's shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. "I honestly don't know."

"Well you'd better think fast, because you-know-who is actually on time for a change." Adrien's head whipped in the direction Nino was looking to see Marinette and Alya a few steps behind them. "Must be that famous 'Luck of the black cat' you've got going on."

"Morning boys!" Alya greeted as they met up at the classroom doorway.

"Yo!" Nino subtly pushed Adrien towards Marinette while putting his arm around Alya's waist. The two shared a conspiring look that sent chills down Adrien's spine. "Is it okay if I sit beside Alya today Mari?" Nino asked innocently, careful to avoid Adrien's glare. "I was hoping we could finish sorting some stuff out for the dance, and don't want Mme. Bustier to notice."

"Sure Nino, I don't see why not." Marinette said with a small blush. Nino gave her a thumbs up before making his way back a row. Adrien watched as she stood beside her temporary seat. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he sat down. She looked like she was about to do the same when a soft voice spoke.

"G-good morning."

Marinette looked behind her, and the smile that she showed Nathanael made Adrien want to-well he wasn't sure what, but it would probably end with him being sent to M. Damocles' office and his father pulling him out of school due to its "negative influence".

"Good morning Nathanael!" Marinette beamed. "I hope Chloe hasn't been bothering you too much today. I'm really sorry about everything that went down yesterday."

"You d-don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault." Nathanael fidgeted with his sketchbook as he seemed to be working up the courage to continue. "U-uhm, I was w-wondering, he took a deep breath before continuing, is it true no one's asked you to the dance yet?"

Had he been transformed, he was sure his cat ears would be pressed flat against his head while a feral hiss tore from him. Thankfully, he had far more control in his daily life. Meaning the sound that escaped him was far quieter and more subdued than it could have been.

 **Next chapter is on its way, and I am also about to upload a few other stories as well, so stay tuned and check 'em out.**

 **Remember to R &R/follow&favorite**

 **~Sana**


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